


Ongoing Dream

by fateaid



Category: Fate/Apocrypha, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Gen, Headcanon, How Do I Tag, In this house we stan Karna to be happy, Less tragedy for Karna, More tragedy for Arjuna, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-19 19:36:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16540847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fateaid/pseuds/fateaid
Summary: In which, someone, you or I, is endlessly dreaming. Dreaming of the endless possibilities of himーKarna.The dream might be short. [one-shot or Karna's profile as Rider/Archer/Ruler/Alter]The dream might be incomplete. [short AUs, such as Karna as Rider in Fate/Zero]Nevertheless, it shall all be recorded.This is a record of Ongoing Dream about Karna.





	1. [Profile] Karna as Rider

**Author's Note:**

> In other words, this is just a space where I put my random ideas of Karna that I have in my head.  
> My weak self is not strong enough to write full-time plot so at best I would write profile or short AUs.
> 
> I will try to write Fate/Apocrypha AU and Fate/Zero AU in the future, but for starters, let me write my headcanon of Karna as Rider lol  
> DW WHEN IS KARNA AS ARCHER/RIDER

**.True Name:** Karna

* * *

  **.Class:** Rider

* * *

  **.Parameter**

Strength: B

Agility: A

Luck: ~~D~~ A

Endurance: B

Mana: B

* * *

  **.Class Skills**

Riding: A

Magic Resistance: C

Clairvoyance: C

* * *

  **.Personal Skills**

Discernment of the Poor: A

Mana Burst (Flames): A

Uncrowned Martial Arts

Divinity: A

* * *

  **.Noble Phantasm**

~~[O'  Sun, Become Armor「 **Kavancha & Kundala**」A](https://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Kavacha_and_Kundala) ~~

~~Still not sure whether to include it or not.~~

 

O' Naga, Unveil Thy Rage 「 **Ashwasena** 」- A

[One of Phantasmal Species, Naga. Its True Name is Ashwasena, the mighty son of the King of Naga Takshaka. During Kurukshetra War, Ashwasena was disguising himself as Karna's arrow and had almost killed Arjuna had it not been for Krishna who saved him by pressing his feet on the chariot and sank it into the earth, hence the arrow missing its aim. Disheartened, Ashwasena returned to Karna and asked him to fire him towards Arjuna once again, making a promise that he would not miss next time. However, Karna refused as it was against his principles as a warrior (as well as his promise to Kunti) to shoot the same arrow twice. Hence, Ashwasena tried to kill Arjuna on his own but failed miserably.

Why he became part of Karna's Noble Phantasm, Karna himself doesn't know. Ashwasena simply stated that he will take his revenge on Arjuna no matter what. After all, it was Arjuna who incinerated his hometown and killed his mother in cold blood. It is not definite whether Arjuna would be summoned in the same Holy Grail War as Karna, nevertheless, this time as Servant, Karna happily accepted Ashwasena as his ally.

Ashwasena, while his true form is Naga, can shapeshift into anything, be it human or animals. In fact, he actually couldn't materialize without permission (he actually could, but for the sake of his safety, he asked permission) nor transform into his original majestic form as Naga without Karna revealing his True Name, therefore, Ashwasena would maintain his appearance as small animals such as cat (due to Master's preference) to reduce energy consumption. Even without revealing his true form, his bites are still deadly and poisonous. He can possess any weapon as well, making those weapon he inhibited becomes even stronger and got poison attribute.]

 

O' Sun, Become Chariot [ **Sapthaswa Ratha** ] - A+(+)

[Karna's fatherーSurya, the Sun God, offered Karna the mastery over light itself in the form of Sapthaswa Rathaーthe Chariot of the Sun God, with its 7 Divine Horsesーbut Karna refused to utilize it in his lifetime. Now summoned as a Servant of Rider class, Karna is willing to utilize it just like how he accepted Ashwasena.

As Karna prays 'O Father, lend me your strength', the Sun Chariot appears from the sky, controlled by reigns on the driver's stand. It is drawn by 7 Divine Horses and they can be considered as tough as Servants themselves. Just like Karna's armorーKavacha & Kundala, both Chariot and the Divine Horses can be considered as the radiance of the Sun itself, which means the Chariot is extremely durable and with the presence of the Divine Horses, it boasts extraordinary power and the Chariot can go at ridiculous speed that no Servants could catch up. 

Unfortunately, this Noble Phantasm is harsh in mana consumption therefore Karna rarely uses it and prefer to move from places to places by himself. To minimize the amount of mana consumption, he would materialize small part of the Noble Phantasm such as using the rays of the Sun from part of the Chariot as piercing weapons to decimate and incinerate anyone in his path, or to reduce it even further, he could take small part of the Chariot and customized it as a sword. He would prefer not to summon the whole set of Saphastwa Ratha, however, it seems like the 7 Divine Horses can materialize on their own without the Chariot itself. Moreover, unlike Ashwasena who needs Karna's permission to materialize, they can materialize without Karna's permissionーout of their persistence and affection of wanting to directly protect Karna as the substitute of Kavancha & Kundala.

...whoever dares to attack Karna and his Master, they shall be meet with the Sun itself*.

 _*in this case, it would be like Ozymandias battle animation in FGO. Beam attack everywhere._ ]

 

O' Dhanush, Lead Me to Vijaya 「 **Vijaya Dhanush** 」- EX

[Vijaya Dhanus is a Divine Construct in form of bow. This bow is said to give sure victory to the possessor, hence, called Bow of Promised Victory. While this bow is Karna's main qualification as Archer, it is possible for him to possess it in Rider Class as well. 

It is no exaggeration to say this bow represents Karna's greatest glory as Hero. Despite being repeatedly rejected, subjected to ridicule for being the son of a poor family, and particularly for his low birthーevery disgrace Karna has experiencedーeverything is dispelled in the day where he finally used Vijaya Bow and show his true worth in Kurukshetra War. The moment he utilized Vijaya Bow, he utterly annihilated the Pandavas Army, implementing fear to Pandavas soldiers and bringing hope to the Victory for Kauravas. His true capabilities that everyone refused to see, they are forced to ingest the reality in the most devastating way.

This bow is said to give sure victory to the possessor, hence, called Bow of Promised Victory. Yet, wielding Vijaya Bow still leads to Karna's death in Kurukshetra War. Was it just a false statement? No. it is indeed the bow that leads its user to Victory. For Karna, prestige and glory are his Victoryーand his death was in fact, the peak moment of his Victory. In Karna's last battle, he undisputedly overwhelmed Arjuna, that was, until Karna's multiple curses were activated at the same time which result the wheel of Karna's chariot stuck in a rut. In that moment, Karna knew his death is coming soon, sensing Arjuna pointing his arrow to his back, yet, there was another realization that struck to his mind. It was this. This coming moment, he would attain Victory he was promised to. Soon enough, Arjuna's bow, with smiling Karna still fixing his chariot, shut down the Sun.

In that moment, there is no doubt his death is bestowed with 'Victory'. He was killed in unfair means, in other words, had Arjuna let him resume in proper battle as warriorーhad Karna came back wielding Vijaya Bow in his handsーthe course of the war would definitely turn out differently. It is indeed, the Bow of Promised Victory. Even when the result is death, he still attained Victory as his honor is protectedーnot bringing shame to his best friend who acknowledged his true worth, Duryodhana, and those who gave him life and raised him.

Now that he is summoned as Servant, his definition of 'Victory' is slightly changed. He is still holding his pride as warrior and Heroic Spirit, but the fact that he serves the Master who summoned him is what is really important. His Master 'Victory' is his Victory, therefore, he shall put his utmost effort to protect and granted their wish.

As Noble Phantasm, Vijaya Dhanus is a powerful continuously active-type Noble Phantasm that display its terrifying abilities that continue to function without any need to call out its name called. Every time an arrow is aimed, the energy of the arrow is automatically amplified by the bow's sacred mantra, which means every time an arrow is released, its shot is as destructive as cannon fire. It is simply impossible to repel it with normal means. Though it also means each shot consume an extraordinary amount of Magical Energy.

Moreover, what makes this Divine Bow even more terrifying is the fact that Karna is its user. With his immense physical strength and terrific archery skills, the destructive power of released arrow becomes catastrophic, and its speed and precision are of that of a homing missile. Simply put, the 'Promised Victory' also implies where Karna is virtually invincible as long as he held Vijaya in his hands because he brings calamity and gives no chance for the enemies to do anything, as if the living being in the Earth is left with no choice but to simply run away to nowhere from the meteor shower.

 While in term of its usage is already tremendously destructive, Vijaya Dhanus shows similar attribute as ExcaliburーThe Sword of Promised Victoryーof Arthuria's. As that which can be called the physical actualization of their ideals and the symbol of their heroism, it is their greatest and most powerful Noble Phantasm. Furthermore, it also shows its true worth even further when faced greater evil. Similar to Excalibur ProtoーThe Sword of Promised Victoryーthe original purpose of Vijaya Dhanus was to defeat greater evil that threatens the World.

...if Arthur and Karna were to be summoned in the same Holy Grail War, as the Wielder of Promised Victory,

"I wonder, who will emerge Victorious?"]

* * *

  **.Extra Info**

Karna, as Rider, is ridiculously even stronger than his Lancer form as he has access to his strongest Noble Phantasm, Vijaya Dhanush. Though either way he is OP in any Class......

I did my best to 'how to design Karna without making him too OP' and it's so freaking hard because?? There are just so many possibilities?? And Karna is already naturally OP af?? orz

And so, I removed all his Noble Phantasm in his Lancer Class; Vasavi Shakti, Brahmastra, Brahmastra Kundala, and Kavacha & Kundala. I actually want to keep Kavacha & Kundala but I decided to remove it because it is simply a foul means to have Karna having his armor and bow at the same time. He would truly be invincible!! This is why Indra, Arjuna's father, took Karna's armor, then Krishna persuaded Arjuna to kill Karna while he is weaponless. The Sun boy is really that broken!! How awesome!!

*uhum* so, yeah, I came up with new Noble Phantasm after roaming around Karna's legend. 3 Noble Phantasm; Ashwasena, Sapthaswa Ratha, and Vijaya Dhanush.

Both Sapthaswa Ratha and Vijaya Dhanush's consume an extraordinary amount of Magical Energy so Karna rarely use them. Especially Vijaya Dhanush. Unlike Arjuna's bow that needs to reveal its True Name 'Agni Gandiva' to make it homing missile or Vasavi Shakti in sealed form, Vijaya Dhanush doesn't need Karna to reveal its True Name to activate it. The moment Karna wield it it's already activated nuclear ready to launch. I mean, in the legend itself, its shot power is enough to move the fucking world o(-(

Sapthaswa Ratha is similar too..... it could be used as piercing nuclear weapons o(-( the visual would be like how Ozymandias' battle animation in fgo. Beam everywhere.

In my headcanon, Karna would be fighting with a sword that he customized from part of Sapthaswa Ratha. This way, it would do less wreckage instead of decimate the surrounding. Karna, being master of all weapons, his swordsmanship is top class too, easily keeping up with Saber Class opponents. So I guess he is both Saber and Archer in Rider Class......lol.

As for Ashwasena, the details of this NP would be explained in Fate/Zero AU *slapped*

Oh right! Karna's appearance would be his [Discarded](https://dailydiscardedkarna.tumblr.com/lemmeintroducemybby) design. You see the horse behind his cape? That is Divine Horse of Sapthaswa Ratha. At least, in my headcanon. Hahaha! >:D

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter would be, uh, either Karna's Archer profile or Fate/Zero AU Karna?  
> Anyone has preference? Help me to decide o(-(  
> Feel free to share your thoughts and suggestion too! I would be happy to talk anything about Karna XD


	2. [Profile] Karna as Archer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Do you wish to save the Humanity? Summon Karna as Archer. Do you wish to destroy the World? Summon Karna as Archer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the "how to design Karna without making him too OP" part 2...WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE orz  
> Karna as Archer is simply too OP. This is why Nasu made him Lancer... to protect the balance.... but he's still OP as Lancer.....
> 
> Nevertheless, I shall do my best putting his profile o(-(

**.True Name:**  Karna

* * *

  **.Class:**  Archer

* * *

  **.Parameter**

Strength: A

Agility: A

Luck:  ~~D~~  A

Endurance: B

Mana: B

* * *

  **.Class Skills**

Riding: A

Magic Resistance: C

Clairvoyance: C+

* * *

  **.Personal Skills**

Discernment of the Poor: A

Mana Burst (Flames): A

Uncrowned Martial Arts

Divinity: A

* * *

  **.Noble Phantasm**

~~[O'](https://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Kavacha_and_Kundala) [ Sun, Become Armor「 **Kavancha & Kundala**」A](https://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Kavacha_and_Kundala) ~~

~~Still not sure whether to include it or not.~~

 

O' Dhanush, Lead Me to Vijaya 「 **Vijaya Dhanush** 」- EX

_***copypasted from previous chapter*** _

[Vijaya Dhanus is a Divine Construct in form of bow. This bow is said to give sure victory to the possessor, hence, called Bow of Promised Victory. While this bow is Karna's main qualification as Archer, it is possible for him to possess it in Rider Class as well. 

It is no exaggeration to say this bow represents Karna's greatest glory as Hero. Despite being repeatedly rejected, subjected to ridicule for being the son of a poor family, and particularly for his low birthーevery disgrace Karna has experiencedーeverything is dispelled in the day where he finally used Vijaya Bow and show his true worth in Kurukshetra War. The moment he utilized Vijaya Bow, he utterly annihilated the Pandavas Army, implementing fear to Pandavas soldiers and bringing hope to the Victory for Kauravas. His true capabilities that everyone refused to see, they are forced to ingest the reality in the most devastating way.

This bow is said to give sure victory to the possessor, hence, called Bow of Promised Victory. Yet, wielding Vijaya Bow still leads to Karna's death in Kurukshetra War. Was it just a false statement? No. it is indeed the bow that leads its user to Victory. For Karna, prestige and glory are his Victoryーand his death was in fact, the peak moment of his Victory. In Karna's last battle, he undisputedly overwhelmed Arjuna, that was, until Karna's multiple curses were activated at the same time which result the wheel of Karna's chariot stuck in a rut. In that moment, Karna knew his death is coming soon, sensing Arjuna pointing his arrow to his back, yet, there was another realization that struck to his mind. It was this. This coming moment, he would attain Victory he was promised to. Soon enough, Arjuna's bow, with smiling Karna still fixing his chariot, shut down the Sun.

In that moment, there is no doubt his death is bestowed with 'Victory'. He was killed in unfair means, in other words, had Arjuna let him resume in proper battle as warriorーhad Karna came back wielding Vijaya Bow in his handsーthe course of the war would definitely turn out differently. It is indeed, the Bow of Promised Victory. Even when the result is death, he still attained Victory as his honor is protectedーnot bringing shame to his best friend who acknowledged his true worth, Duryodhana, and those who gave him life and raised him.

Now that he is summoned as Servant, his definition of 'Victory' is slightly changed. He is still holding his pride as warrior and Heroic Spirit, but the fact that he serves the Master who summoned him is what is really important. His Master 'Victory' is his Victory, therefore, he shall put his utmost effort to protect and granted their wish.

As Noble Phantasm, Vijaya Dhanush is a powerful continuously active-type Noble Phantasm that display its terrifying abilities that continue to function without any need to call out its name called. Every time an arrow is aimed, the energy of the arrow is automatically amplified by the bow's sacred mantra, which means every time an arrow is released, its shot is as destructive as cannon fire. It is simply impossible to repel it with normal means. Though it also means each shot consume an extraordinary amount of Magical Energy.

Moreover, what makes this Divine Bow even more terrifying is the fact that Karna is its user. With his immense physical strength and terrific archery skills, the destructive power of released arrow becomes catastrophic, and its speed and precision are of that of a homing missile. Simply put, the 'Promised Victory' also implies where Karna is virtually invincible as long as he held Vijaya in his hands because he brings calamity and gives no chance for the enemies to do anything, as if the living being in the Earth is left with no choice but to simply run away to nowhere from the meteor shower.

 While in term of its usage is already tremendously destructive, Vijaya Dhanush shows similar attribute as ExcaliburーThe Sword of Promised Victoryーof Arthuria's. As that which can be called the physical actualization of their ideals and the symbol of their heroism, it is their greatest and most powerful Noble Phantasm. Furthermore, it also shows its true worth even further when faced greater evil. Similar to Excalibur ProtoーThe Sword of Promised Victoryーthe original purpose of Vijaya Dhanush was to defeat greater evil that threatens the World.

...if Arthur and Karna were to be summoned in the same Holy Grail War, as the Wielder of Promised Victory,

"I wonder, who will emerge Victorious?"]

 

[O' Brahma, Curse Me「 **Brahmastra Kundala** 」- A+(+)](https://typemoon.wikia.com/wiki/Kavacha_and_Kundala)

[Unlike Karna's Lancer form, Brahmastra Kundala appear as a bow under the Archer class. Utilized by calling upon the name of the God Brahma, a bow together with its arrow will be materialized, which from one blow is likened to a nuclear weapon. 

While Brahmastra Kundala is already enhanced by Karna's Mana Burst (Flames), it is possible to amplified it even further by combining it with Karna's Divine Bow, Vijaya Dhanush. In this case, instead of materializing Brahmastra as a bow, Vijaya Dhanus will be used as his Bow with Brahmastra as its arrow. The energy of the arrow (Brahmastra) is automatically amplified by the bow's sacred mantra, making this Noble Phantasm rises it rank to A+(+).

 **+** : Mana Burst (Flames) | ( **+** ): Vijaya Dhanush]

 

O' Guru, Evince Thy Wrath 「 **Bhargavastra** 」- A+(+)

[A powerful Noble Phantasm that was granted along with Vijaya Dhanus to Karna by Parashurama. The first time he used this was the same time when he first utilized Vijaya Bow. It releases millions and millions of arrows from the sky, eradicating the Pandavas army in one go.

This Noble Phantasm is similar to Atalanta's Phoebus Catastrophe in term of generating rain of arrows of light falling onto the enemies like a downpour. The damage dealt by each individual arrow is small, but because they attack in great numbers this Noble Phantasm is strong against Servants who have low Endurance and high Agility. It is also possible to set the range of the downpour, letting it spread over the battlefield or focusing it all onto a single enemy.

While it is similar to Atalanta's, Karna's Noble Phantasm is stronger than hers because his arrow is automatically enhanced by his other Noble PhantasmーVijaya Dhanush. Furthermore, it is possible to enhance the damage dealt even more by imbuing the arrows with Karna's Mana Burst (Flames), making it rank A++. Instead of rain of arrows, it is closer to meteor shower.

 **+** : Vijaya Dhanush | ( **+** ): Mana Burst (Flames)

[*how it would look like*](https://twitter.com/humorlibrary/status/1021719461085114369)] 

 

* * *

  **.Extra Info**

Do you wish to save the Humanity? Summon Karna as Archer. Do you wish to destroy the World? Summon Karna as Archer.

Archer Karna is even harder to nerf than Rider........ pretty sure Arjuna would aim his arrow to my neck if he look at this list o(-(

~~*Trivia: Karna as Lancer/Rider's Strength Parameter is B. In Archer Class, his Strength is A rank. Just to spit Arjuna*~~

I mean, if I were to compare with Arjuna, sure this profile is sick af. I could just remove either Brahmastra Kundala or Bhargavastra but both of those are very important aspect of Karna being Archer. Brahmastra Kundala is already officially confirmed from Karna's material that it will materialize as Bow in Archer class. As for Bhargavastra, I simply cannot toss this aside because this power is unique to only Karna and his teacher, Parashurama.

The least I could do is to remove Karna's armor. However, unlike Vasavi Shakti, utilizing Vijaya Bow to its full power doesn't need his armor to be sacrificed. In other words, it is possible to have Kavancha & Kundala in Archer or Rider Class. But that would make Karna too broken because he would virtually invincible lol. I mean, not really, all you gotta do is to kill his Master or have 10% damage strong enough to kill Karna lololol.

Well, it doesn't change the fact Karna's biggest weakness as Servant is his ridiculous Mana Consumption. He may got tons of nuclear weapons but he cannot launch it without enough Magical Energy. Though he can just kill you with his punch......he too stronk orz

Now that we are in Archer page, I would like to talk more about my headcanon Vijaya Dhanush. I pretty much already explained everything about Vijaya Dhanush in the Noble Phantasm list, and to add that, I would like to think the best part of this Noble Phantasm is that it is Conceptual Weapon that represents Karna's will. I thought a lot about it... and it turn out like this. Uhhh I think I will just make it as another chapter because it would be really long essay o(-( and it's just so sad to think about it....... 

Instead, I shall explain about " **+** ".

To put it simply, the "+" modifier represents the capacity of a temporary boost in power, allowing a weapon or ability of a lower rank to surpass a higher rank for a moment. So Bhargavastra and Brahmastra Kundala's original rank is A, but Karna could boost it further to ++ with his skill Mana Burst (Flames) and Vijaya Dhanush's passive skill.  **++**  indicates a three-times increase. So yeah, he could make the already-destructive-enough-NP into catastrophic level lol. 

I feel like Archer Class fits Karna better if he were to become Alter. Gotta destroy everything. Argh. That reminds me. The possibility of Karna Alter o(-( so many possibilities of Karna.

.......how to be Takeuchi but to Karna. Where is my Nasu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karna Alter or Fate/Zero AU, anyone?  
> Oh, right. I have Karna as Ruler idea too...... hahaha...... o(-(


	3. [Fate/Zero] Ashwasena, Sapthaswa Ratha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Kurukshetra War, they had the same goal but the means to achieve them were different, hence, moved independently.
> 
> In this 4th Holy Grail War of Fuyuki, they have different goal, nevertheless, are going to work together.

* * *

  **.Masters**

 **Kiritsugu Emiya** , Saber's Master

 **Tokiomi Tohsaka** , Archer's Master

 **Kayneth El-Melloi** , Lancer's Master

 **Ritsuka Fujimaru** , Rider's Master. Half-Japanese and half-Javanese who is currently studying in Fuyuki University. Summoned a Servant without knowing the existence of Holy Grail War.

 **Ryuunosuke Uryuu** , Caster's Master

 **Kotomine Kirei** , Assassin's Master

 **Kariya Matou** , Berserker's Master

* * *

  **.Servants**

Saber - Artoria Pendragron

Archer - ???

Lancer - Diarmuid Ua Duibhne

**[Rider - Karna](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16540847/chapters/38750384)**

Caster - Gilles de Rais

Assassin - ???

Berserker - ???

_???: either secret or not decided yet._

* * *

  **.Others**

 **Waver Velvet** , whom Ritsuka secretly snoops his ritual procedure from, failed to summon a Servant. Instead, he became Pseudo-Servant of Zhuge Liang under Counter Force's will to stop the upcoming disaster in Holy Grail War.

* * *

 

 

_'The Son of the Sun God, could I have a word with you?'_

"...The Son of the Great King Naga." Karna whispered in low voice, careful not to wake his Master who is sleeping soundly in her bed. "Yes, of course. I would like to talk with you too."

 

The red-haired Servant decided to have his talk in balcony so he will not disturb his Master's sleep. She was in deep sleep and doesn't look like waking up soon, nevertheless, he prefers to avoid any chance of her waking up. Summoning a Servant took a toll after all, especially since she is not a Magus.

Yet, the girl  _intentionally_  summoned him without knowing the Holy Grail War. And she succeeded. She even succeeded summoning the ‘Servant’ that she actually aimed for. Him. Karna.

'How surprising,' he thought as he reminisced the moment when he was summoned. Yet, the surprise didn't end until he realized he had an unexpected Noble Phantasm under Rider Class. And now, he is going to have a talk with that Noble Phantasm. The Son of the Great King Naga, its True Name is _Ashwasena_.

The moment Karna is out in balcony, he heard the Naga's voice in his head again.

 

_'May I?'_

"Yes."

 

A small snake materialized on a fence in front of him.

 

"You are even more humble than I expected, O Naga. Asking my permission to appear and not revealing your True Form. Where is the fierceness that I had seen in the War?"

"Is that sarcasm?" no expression expressed as a snake, but its voice expressed annoyance.

"I merely stated the truth." Karna said honestly. Yes. He certainly never sees the Naga in calm state, especially since they only met once and it was in the hell of War.

".....it's not as if I can reveal my True Form nor materialize without your permission. You know why."

"I see. So you cannot materialize into your True Form without myself revealing your True Name as Noble Phantasm."

 

Karna had some idea so he never speaks its True Name, only referring them to O Naga.

 

"It's not just that!!"

"...?"

 

The snake suddenly screamed out of frustration, confusing Karna.

 

"I beg you! Hold your Horses!"

"?"

"Don't you know how your Horses are threatening me?!?! They are ready to obliterate me if they saw me doing something they deem as a threat!"

 

The moment the Naga explained, a magic circle with symbol of golden Eye suddenly appeared behind Karna's back.

"I see." Karna uttered calmly, finally understanding the situation. Even when they didn't actually materialize and he cannot see them, he can still sense the presence of his another Noble Phantasm, ready to launch the power of Sun at its own will. It seems like this Noble Phantasm can use their own power without his permission and has no need to completely materialize in full set to use their power, hence, only a magic circle with symbol of golden Eye appeared.

He faces the gold Eye, smiling lightly.

 

"I must say, I am really blessed with great luck. O Divine Horse of my Father. I am thankful from the bottom of my heart for the good fortune of having the chance to fight alongside with my Father's, as well as having the divine protection on your own good will."

 

The Eye symbol dispersed into gold glitters, slowly turning its form to their true Divine form and nudge their nose happily to Karna's cheek.

The Divine Horse of the Chariot of the Sun God, part of Karna's Noble Phantasm, _Sapthaswa Ratha_.

 

"Though, I do worry if you were to actually launch your power in here. While we may be in Holy Grail War, we are not in a proper battlefield to rampage around. Be at ease, O Divine Horse." Unlike the Naga, the Divine Horse couldn't speak words, yet, Karna could still understand their thoughts and their reply made him smile in trouble. "I see that you will insist no matter what when it comes to my safety. I cannot deny that I am happy to hear that. I am truly blessed with great luck. Thank you, O Divine Horse of my Father."

 

And so, once again the Divine Horse nudge their nose happily to Karna's cheek with him patting their head gently before they disperse into glitters of gold light then disappeared.

 

"I apologize for making you feel restless, O Naga. However, you did deserve that hostility after letting such a loud shout. Neither me or my Father can let you disturb our Master's rest."

"...oh." realizing that, the Naga lowered its head. "Sorry for that."

"I cannot say the same thing about my Father, but now that we are an ally, I trust you."

"...seriously?"

"Yes, why the surprise?"

"Back then you rejected me, so maybe you would say the same thing again."

 

For Karna, it was supposed to be him who should be surprised. After all, he rejected the Naga back then in the War. Had they join force together, they could kill their shared nemesis, the great Hero of PandavaーArjuna.

Karna might win the War while Naga got his revenge, yet, Karna refused the Naga as he hold a certain promise. The Naga was dejected, but still not giving up with his revenge and try to kill Arjuna on his own. In the end, both of them were met with the same fate. To be killed by Arjuna. Following this pattern, why would the Naga willingly become one of his Noble Phantasm?

Nevertheless, back then and now are different times with different goals.

 

"This time, I have no reason to refuse you. In fact, O Naga, are you willingly sure to lend me your power when I had refused you before?"

 

Hearing that, the Naga raised its head and letting a small chuckle.

 

"Now that I became your Noble Phantasm, I will do my job properly. Adding to the fact my life is yours, as well asー" the Naga sighed, before continuing. "ーin danger from your Horses."

"I can only say but work hard on getting my Father's trust. Be that as it may, I am truly blessed for having you lending your power. Thank you, O Naga," said Karna as he truthfully expressed his gratitude, while the Naga feels more awkward and dejected by his former statement. "Though, I still don't understand how and why you became my Noble Phantasm. I can understand my Father's Chariot. But you? Servant system certainly leaves me wonder."

"I have some ideas on that."

"Such as?"

Before answering, the Naga lets out a snigger. "Fate working as usual."

 

The Eye materialized once again behind Karna's back, glaring its hostility to the snake, making it startled in fear again.

 

"I-I told you to hold your Horses!" 

"I certainly cannot do that, O Naga,"

"?!"

 

Just when the Naga thought the Eye was the only one who is hostile, the gold-eyes of the red-haired Servant sharp gaze pierced its mere small existence, freezing his movement yet boiling its existence. Karna, the Son of the Sun God, usually emits striking Divine aura and his normal gaze is already piercing as the Sun. Yet, this time it's more than that. Instead of the brilliance of the Sun, now, it is altered into striking form of the Wrath of Sun.

 

"This is a good timing to make everything clear."

"...?"

"O Naga. I trust you as an ally. You also said that your life is mine to decided, however, strictly speaking, our lives are not for us to decided. As a Noble Phantasm, I might be your Master. But remember, your true Master is none other than the same as mineーher."

"..."

"The same goes to my Father. To protect me means they need to protect the vital point of my current beingーand that is our Master. Both of us cannot allow any smallest chance of harm goes to Master, even if that means is to remove my Noble Phantasm."

"..." the Naga still says nothing, but it slowly calmed down and regained their compose back.

"Do you understand the actual basis of the current hostility?"

"...yeah," the snake sighed in defeat, coming to the realization on what they are wary of.

 

They immediately caught the true meaning of what the Naga said, "Fate working as usual". It was meant for a joke, yet, they deduce into one of possible threat coming from the Naga itself.

 

"...I promise."

"State it. _Clearly_."

 

If only the Naga had hands in his current snake form, he would like it very much if he could put his hands up and make a declaration in that way.

 

"Evenーeven if there is a chance of _that bastard_  to be actually summoned in this Holy Grail. I promise not to go rampage. I promise to remain calm and prioritize our Master." 

 

Yes. _That bastard_ and the Fate that is revolving around  _his_ existence.

 

"I am relieved to hear that."

"...both you and the Horses are infatuated with Master even more than I imagined.... Well, I guess it's only natural after having summoned in such way."

 

As Karna reminisced before, the girl  _intentionally_  summoned him without knowing the Holy Grail War. And she succeeded. She even succeeded summoning the ‘Servant’ that she actually aimed for.

The Son of the Sun God, the Great Warrior of Kaurava, the famous Hero of CharityーKarna.

She was confused when he introduced himself as Rider Class, yet, the moment Karna revealed his True Name, the response was,

 

**“Karna? _That Karna?_ Duryodhana’s best friend?”**

 

Out of all great titles Karna had, the Master referred him in the most unexpected way.

 _'That speaks a lot on how she views his worth_.' the Naga calmly thought in his mind, slightly surprised how fast the heavy tension is cooling down from both the Eye and Karna.

Karna raised his right arm and the Eye vanished in understanding.

 

"So you willingly became one of my Noble Phantasm because there is a chance for you to get revenge?"

"Huh? Yeah, I guess so."

"There seem to be another reason."

"Look, you and that bastard have this kind of destiny to keep fighting each other. You already knew that. And we are basically in the same pod as the one who took our lives was the same person. It won't be strange if we are packed into one set to face the same fate again. Though, if that were the case I will turn over it this time. If there is a chance for me to get my revenge back, I will do anything for itー" before the Naga sensed another hostility, it quickly said, "ーof course, in this situation, Master's well-being is the priority. I won't be reckless like last time. If only I could just poison him..... thanks for the unnecessary blessing you bestowed to that bastard, Ulupi."

"..."

 

Karna quietly observed the Naga with his skill,  _Discernment of the Poor_. The Naga is not lying, that is very much true. However, there is still some hole on it.

 

"...I'm honestly also surprised that I became part of your Noble Phantasm, y'know? So other than Fate working their way, Master might have some influence in a way."

"Master's influence?"

"I sense something from Master. Barely. I'm not sure and I haven't confirmed it but I don't think it's harmful. Heck, I don't even dare to check it because of you guys."

"...I shall keep that in mind. As long as it doesn't harm our Masterー" Karna blinked, remembered something. "ーwhich reminded me, O Naga. I don't actually mind if you want to take revenge on him. Assuming that he were actually summoned in this Holy Grail War."

"Seriously?!"

"Our priority is Master, after all. Eliminating our enemies would apply on it."

"YESー! Now we are talking!"

"Butー"

"...what."

"You said it before. Master's influence. You do know how our 'particular' existence is granted because of Master's influence, right?"

"...oh."

"Assuming the person you speak of were summoned in the same Holy Grail War, high chance, he is not the same person you sought. By that sense, do you still thrive for a revenge? Even to an innocent person?"

 

The moment Karna queried that, the Naga emits dark aura. The Eye immediately materialized on its own to protect Karna, but Karna just gave a light gesture to remain calm down.

 

"...how dare you to say that person is innocent." spits the Naga in irritated voice, not caring the hostility from the Eye. "I don't know about you, but wherever it was, all of us were met with the same fate. Especially myself. I own their memories and feelings. That bastardーwith his Gandiva and Agni's blessingーextinguished our homeland. He burned everything, murdered our mother. Both of them did the same thing! Unlike youーour hatred are one and the same!"

"...I see."

"I don't care which of them would be summoned. I will have my revenge no matter what. It doesn't change the fact they are basically the same person. The same goes for you and myself. There might be alteration in there and there along the way, but we are still one part of another and met the same fateful end."

"...understood." Karna nodded in understanding. "I understand your will and I respect your wish. It doesn't change the fact our goal is the same, so I don't mind with that. Having said that, I still need to warn you thatー"

"ーMaster is the priority, right? I got it. I got it. No need to remind me!" 

 

It's good that both the Naga and Karna reached an understanding, yet the Naga still couldn't feel at ease with Karna's overprotective attitude and the intense hostility from the Horses that always watches his movement. ' _It's not as if I will betray them or something!_ ' the Naga complained in his mind. Though he quickly dismissed the complaint as he realized instead of betrayal, they are more cautious to the trouble he might cause in the future, which he cannot deny. There is no knowing whether 'that person' would be summoned as Servant in this Holy Grail War. The chance is slim, in fact, might as well conclude 'he' might not appear at all. What are the chances for that brothers to have their fateful fight again in Holy Grail War?

Yet, the Naga believes 'he' would appear, or maybe already summoned somewhere in this Fuyuki City. Was it his instinct? Or was it just him consumed with the thought of revenge?

Either way, they need to at least prepare for the worst case that might happen. And their worst case is 'that person'.

...come to think of it, Karna is strangely calm, the Naga thought as he saw Karna convincing the Eye to withdraw.

 

"...you don't feel anything?"

"About?" asked Karna back as he managed to convince the Eye to dematerialize.

"If that bastard were to be actually summoned in this Holy Grail War."

"..."

 

They are met with a moment of silence as the Eye disperses into gold glitters.

Karna's expressionless face made it hard for the Naga to read his reaction. He might be thinking an answer, but doesn't particularly react on it. As if, the chance of his arc enemy appearance doesn't bother him at all. It's hard to believe if that were the caseーbecause for Karna, 'that person' will always be his fated rival. In fact, isn't a Holy Grail War is the perfect stage for them to have a rematch?

 

"Master's wish and safety are my top priorities." Karna finally answered.

"You don't wish for a proper rematch if he were in here?"

"No. It is simply unnecessary."

"...I really cannot understand you. After meeting such an end, don't you feel frustrated about it?"

 

When the Naga specifically mentioned 'end' and 'frustrate', a new expression is finally surfaced on Karna's face, but it quickly turned back to his usual poker face again.

 

' _Ah._ '

"...it is simply meaningless to concern myself about it."

' _I see._ '

 

Now the Naga understands him.

It is exactly as he saidーit is simply unnecessary and meaningless to concern himself about it.

Unlike the Naga, for Karna, 'him' and 'him' are different matters.

 

"Nevertheless, are you still willing to assist me?"

 

The Naga asked for a confirmation. Back then, he was rejected. But now the circumstances are different from before, he needs to ask once againーfor his assistanceーas the Naga knows he cannot do this alone. He cannot get his revenge with his power alone.

 

"Assuming the person you speak of were actually summoned in Holy Grail Warーand it aligns with Master's well-being, I don't see any problem helping your wish."

"Hah!" the Naga lets out a laugh, satisfied. "As expected of the Hero of Charity!"

 

Hearing the way the Naga called him, Karna could only sigh with a smile.

 

"I don't call this act as a charity. Regardless of your wish, this is Holy Grail War and we should not focus to one particular threat. Also, remember, the chance of having the person you speak of summoned as enemy Servant is slim to begin with. Do not make an assumption in haste. I do not wish for you to just disappear after knowing your prey is not here."

"How naive of you, the Son of the Sun God! The fact I am here, that alone is enough proof!" the Naga declared confidently.

 

Yes. His existence as Noble Phantasm is close to abnormality. It's not as if there is malfunction regarding what kind of Noble Phantasm Karna would have as Rider Class, it's just, the chance for Ashwasena to be Karna's Noble Phantasm is close to nil. There might be Master's influence, but it adds even more to the fact this is simply the work of Fate. Hence, it is not weird to assume if 'that person' was summoned as an enemy Servant in his Holy Grail War.

Still, if his prey were not summoned in here...

 

"...I told you before. Now that I became your Noble Phantasm, I will do my job properly. Sure, I will be disappointed if my prey is not in here. Even so, the thought of working together with you is fascinating. I will not commit suicide, or making trouble or something. I will put my utmost effort as your weaponーso it would be nice if you are less hostile to me."

 

Hearing that response, Karna closed his eyes with a troubled smile.

 

"In response for that, I can only say but work hard on getting my Father's trust."

"Ugh..."

"Still, I did say that I trust youーand I cannot deny that the thought of working together with you is fascinating even to me as well. I am truly blessed for having you as one of my Noble Phantasm. You have my gratitude, O Naga."

"...no. Thank you, the Hero of Charity."

 

With this, it is now confirmed.

In the Kurukshetra War, they had the same goal but the means to achieve them were different, hence, moved independently.

In this 4th Holy Grail War of Fuyuki, they have different goal, nevertheless, are going to work together.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To think I got so many kudos by just writing a profile.... thank you so much all of you. I'm really happy ;v;  
> And here I go, finally starting to write a fic of Fate/Zero AU.
> 
> I think many of you can already guess who will be the 'Archer' in this Fate/Zero AU lol


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